Furlough

With the prospect of a federal government shutdown ...

When:

Lookups spiked on April 6, 2011.

Why:

Furlough - meaning "a period of time when an employee is told not to come to work and is not paid" - has been used frequently as Democrats and Republicans square off in a budget debate that may shut down the federal government.

For example:

"The CIA, FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies are planning potentially significant employee furloughs in the event of a federal government shutdown, top agency officials said on Wednesday." - Reuters, April 6, 2011